Public Policy

  • February 26, 2026

    Ga. House Speaker Beats Suit Over State Senator's Ban

    A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed against Georgia Speaker of the House Jon Burns by the constituents of a lawmaker who was barred from the chamber last January after calling Burns' predecessor "one of the most corrupt Georgia leaders we'll ever see in our lifetimes," finding they lack standing to sue.

  • February 26, 2026

    House Bill Would Cap FCC License Reviews At 180 Days

    A bipartisan U.S. House bill introduced Thursday would codify the Federal Communications Commission's standard 180-day limit on reviewing license applications, potentially speeding up merger reviews.

  • February 26, 2026

    IRS Broke Law 42K Times By Giving Info To ICE, Judge Says

    The federal judge who stopped the Internal Revenue Service from sharing taxpayer addresses with immigration authorities said Thursday that a recent admission by the agency showed that it broke the law more than 42,000 times last summer when it disclosed addresses by relying on a computerized matching system.

  • February 26, 2026

    VA Rescinds Veteran Disability Rating Rule After Pushback

    The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on Thursday moved to rescind a controversial rule that would have required evaluators to account for the effects of medication in assigning veterans' disability ratings, after facing strong opposition from veterans and lawmakers.

  • February 26, 2026

    DirecTV Urges Top FCC Officials To Nix Nexstar-Tegna Deal

    DirecTV went to the top ranks of the Federal Communications Commission in recent days to push against the proposed merger of TV station giants Nexstar and Tegna, calling it a clear threat to local media competition.

  • February 26, 2026

    Judge Scolds 'Impenetrable' TikTok In NY AG's Addiction Suit

    A New York state judge Thursday chided TikTok's attorneys for failing to search for financial and corporate records in the state's social media child addiction lawsuit, appearing poised to force TikTok companies to hand over more business data to calculate potential damages or disgorgement.

  • February 26, 2026

    Tenn. Health System Can't Dodge $28M False Claims Act Suit

    A Tennessee-based health system must face claims it allegedly ran a sprawling patient referral scheme by overcompensating doctors in exchange for Medicare patient referrals and then billed Medicare $28 million for services it offered those illegally referred patients, a Tennessee federal judge said Thursday, denying the health system's dismissal bid. 

  • February 26, 2026

    Judge Orders Dam Spill To Protect Columbia River Salmon

    An Oregon federal judge has ordered tailored changes to hydropower dam operations in the Columbia River Basin to protect endangered salmon and steelhead, saying that as a decades-long dispute continues, the guaranteed tribal treaty resource is "disappearing from the landscape."

  • February 26, 2026

    Hegseth Appeals Block On Sen. Kelly's Rank Reduction

    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has appealed a district court order blocking him from reducing the U.S. Navy rank of Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., after the lawmaker told members of the military they don't have to follow unlawful orders. 

  • February 26, 2026

    FCC Denies Cos.' Bids To Scrap Regulatory Fee Late Charges

    The Federal Communications Commission is declining to waive the 25% penalty it slaps on top of regulatory fees from 2023 and 2024 that come in late, dashing the hopes of nearly two dozen companies that had asked the agency to do just that.

  • February 26, 2026

    India Looks To Nix $156M Deutsche Telekom Award Suit

    India is urging a D.C. federal court not to enforce a nearly $156 million arbitral award issued to Deutsche Telekom AG over a nixed satellite lease and telecommunications deal, arguing that it never agreed to arbitrate this type of dispute and that the deal was nixed over "essential security" issues.

  • February 26, 2026

    Feds Seek To Pause Fight Over Stopping Empire Wind Project

    The Trump administration has asked a D.C. federal judge to pause litigation challenging its stoppage of the Empire Wind offshore wind project, a move opposed by the project's developers, who previously persuaded the judge to lift the stoppage.

  • February 26, 2026

    NYC Officials Urge 2nd Circ. Not To Block Pot Enforcement

    New York City officials are asking the Second Circuit to deny a bid from two business owners to block enforcement of the city's cannabis laws against their club while they appeal a lower court decision, saying they don't have standing to seek the injunction.

  • February 26, 2026

    $200M Antitrust Deal Can Shield Drugmakers In States' Claims

    Sun Pharmaceutical and Taro Pharmaceuticals can use their $200 million settlement with the "end payors" for generic drugs in an alleged price-fixing scheme as a defense in a similar lawsuit brought by 47 states and territories, the Connecticut federal judge overseeing the case ruled Wednesday.

  • February 26, 2026

    NJ Judge Slams DHS For 'Reckless' Detention Practices

    A New Jersey federal judge ordered a Salvadoran's immediate release Thursday from immigration custody, saying the Trump administration's procedures for arrest and detention of noncitizens — while once potentially attributable to negligence — have entered the realm of "manifest recklessness."

  • February 26, 2026

    Hochul Taps Policy Director To Lead NY Cannabis Regulator

    New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday announced that the director of policy at the state's cannabis regulatory agency would take over the office's top leadership role.

  • February 26, 2026

    Senate Judiciary Advances Illinois US Atty

    The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the nomination of Gregory Gilmore to be U.S. attorney for the Central District of Illinois in a quick vote that passed without comment.

  • February 26, 2026

    Vanguard Will Pay $29.5M To Settle Red States' ESG Suit

    The Vanguard Group Inc. will pay $29.5 million to settle claims brought by several conservative states accusing it and other large asset managers of driving up coal prices by pressuring publicly traded energy companies to lower their output to meet carbon emission reduction goals.

  • February 26, 2026

    Feds Seek To Toss DOJ Official's Suit Over Epstein-Talk Firing

    The U.S. Department of Justice has asked a D.C. federal court to ax a wrongful termination lawsuit brought by a former DOJ official who was fired after he was surreptitiously filmed talking about Jeffrey Epstein on what he thought was a date, saying district courts don't have jurisdiction and the matter belongs in front of the Merit Systems Protection Board.

  • February 26, 2026

    Feds Ask For Early Win In Forest Service Timber Targets Suit

    The government is seeking summary judgment in a lawsuit alleging the U.S. Forest Service failed to consider emissions from its logging program's anticipated timber sales, telling a D.C. federal judge that the plaintiffs' claims are moot after the 2025 budget reconciliation bill set new goals directly.

  • February 26, 2026

    Hawaii Officials Fight Claim That Hemp Law Violates Farm Bill

    Hawaii's attorney general and health department director are urging a federal court to throw out a challenge to new hemp regulations, arguing that they have immunity under the 11th Amendment and that the regulations don't conflict with the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, also known as the Farm Bill.

  • February 26, 2026

    NLRB Readopts 2020 Joint Employer Rule In 'Ministerial' Move

    The National Labor Relations Board formally republished a 2020 rule on Thursday narrowing the circumstances in which it tags employers with liability to another firm's employees, in what it called a "ministerial" step to clarify its consistent policy.

  • February 26, 2026

    Former Prosecutors Slam Seizure Of Fulton County Ballots

    A bipartisan group of former federal prosecutors told a federal judge that the U.S. Department of Justice shouldn't have sought a search warrant to seize election materials from Georgia's Fulton County last month and that in doing so, the department failed its "essential role in our justice system."

  • February 26, 2026

    Thai Oil Drill Products Evading China Duties, Commerce Says

    Oil and gas pipe imports from Thailand are evading antidumping and countervailing duties imposed on those products from China, the U.S. Department of Commerce determined Thursday.

  • February 26, 2026

    Trump Admin Asks Justices To Intervene In Syria TPS Fight

    The Trump administration urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to block lower courts from delaying its termination of temporary protected status for Syrian nationals, noting the high court has already done so twice for its TPS revocation regarding Venezuelan nationals.

Expert Analysis

  • Remote Patient Monitoring Is At Regulatory Inflection Point

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    With remote patient monitoring at the center of new federal pilot programs and a recent report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General examining Medicare billing for those services, it is clear that balancing innovation and risk will be a central challenge ahead for digital health stakeholders, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • How Latest Nasdaq Proposals Stand To Raise Listings Quality

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    Nasdaq's recent proposals stand to heighten both quantitative and qualitative standards for issuers, which, if approved, may bring investors stronger market integrity and access but also raise the listings bar, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • Opinion

    CFIUS Must Adapt To Current Foreign Investment Realities

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    To continue protecting the U.S.’ long-term strategic and economic interests, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States should implement practical enhancements that leverage technology, expertise and clear communication, and enable it to keep pace with evolving demands, says attorney Sohan Dasgupta.

  • Texas AG Wields Consumer Protection Law Against Tech Cos.

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    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has targeted technology companies using the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, a broadly worded statute that gives the attorney general wide latitude to pursue claims beyond traditional consumer protection, creating unique litigation risks, say attorneys at Yetter Coleman.

  • When Bankruptcy Collides With Product Recalls

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    The recent bankruptcy filing by Rad Power Bikes on the heels of a U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warning about dangerously defective batteries sold by the company highlights how CPSC enforcement clashes with bankruptcy protections, leaving both regulators and consumer litigants with limited options, says Michael Avanesian at Avian Law Group.

  • Protecting Sensitive Data During Congressional Inquiries

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    With the 2026 midterm elections potentially set to shift control of one or both houses of Congress, entities must proactively plan for the prospect of new congressional investigations, and adopt strategic, effective and practical measures to mitigate risks related to disclosure of sensitive information, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Where PCAOB Goes Next After A Year Of Uncertainty

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    The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board will likely bring fewer enforcement matters in 2026, reflecting a notable change in board priorities following the change in administrations, say Robert Cox and Nicole Byrd at Whiteford Taylor and Matthew Rogers at Bridgehaven Consulting.

  • As Federal Water Regs Recede, Calif.'s Permitting Tide Rises

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's 2023 decision in Sackett v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reduced federal protections for many wetlands and surface water features, but as California's main water regulator has made clear, many projects are now covered by state rules instead, which have their own complex compliance requirements, says Thierry Montoya at FBT Gibbons.

  • How To Trademark A Guy In 8 Ways: An IP Strategy Against AI

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    Attempting a novel method of protection against artificial intelligence misuse of his voice and likeness, Matthew McConaughey's recent efforts to register eight trademarks for a series of audio and video clips of himself underscore the importance of extending existing legal frameworks beyond traditional applications, says Summer Todd at Patterson Intellectual Property.

  • Ambiguity Remains On Anti-DEI Grant Conditions

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    Although a recent decision in City of Chicago and City of Saint Paul v. U.S. Department of Justice temporarily halts enforcement of anti-DEI conditions in federal grant applications, and echoes recent decisions in similar cases, companies remain at risk until the term “illegal DEI” is clarified, say attorneys at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Utah's AI Prescription Renewal Pilot Could Inform Policy

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    Utah recently became the first state to approve an artificial intelligence system for autonomously renewing certain prescription medicines, providing a test case for how regulators may be able to draw boundaries between administrative automation and medical judgment, say Jashaswi Ghosh at Holon Law Partners and Bryant Godfrey at Foley Hoag.

  • Radiation Standard Shift Might Add Complications For Cos.

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    In keeping with the Trump administration's focus on nuclear energy, the U.S. Department of Energy recently announced that it will eliminate the "as low as reasonably achievable" radiation protection standard for agency practices and regulations — but it is far from clear that this change will benefit the nuclear power industry, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • Bipartisan Enforcement Is Rising In Consumer Finance

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    Activity over the past year suggests a bipartisan state enforcement wave is rippling across the consumer finance industry, which follows a blueprint set out by former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra, who notably now leads a Democratic Attorneys General Association working group, say attorneys at Hudson Cook.

  • How Attorneys Can Navigate Shifts In Financing Landscape

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    Direct government investment in companies in strategic sectors is expected to continue this year, with legal practitioners facing increased demands to navigate hybrid capital structures, evolving regulatory considerations and the alignment of financing terms with long-term business and strategic objectives, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • A Primer On Law Enforcement Self-Defense Doctrine

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    In the wake of several shootings by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, misconceptions persist about what the laws governing police use of force actually permit, and it’s essential for legal practitioners to understand the contours of the underlying constitutional doctrine, says Markus Funk at White & Case.

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